Cars with LG Chem Batteries Being Recalled in Germany

Electric vehicles powered by LG Chem's batteries are being recalled in Germany.

Opel, a German subsidiary of French automaker Groupe PSA, has recently decided to recall the Ampera-e, a sister car to the Chevrolet Volt EV, foreign media outlets said on Nov. 26. Opel will recall about 550 units of the 1,500 Ampera-e EVs produced between 2017 and 2020.

Opel cited the risks of smoke, melting and burning in a battery pack as the reason for the recall. In fact, an Ampera-e model was burned down in the Langenfeld area in early November.

Opel began to sell the Ampera model when it was a subsidiary of General Motors of the United States. It became a subsidiary of PSA in 2017. The Ampera-e is a European version of the Chevrolet Volt EV, which GM recently decided to recall. The two models are both loaded with LG Chem batteries. According to LG Chem, the Ampera-e models are included in the 69,000 Volt EVs that GM announced to recall.

GM reportedly warned Opel of the risk of fire as it implemented a recall of the Volt EV. GM is still investigating the cause of the fires, an Opel spokesperson said.

GM has started a recall on 2017-2019 Volt EVs equipped with high-voltage batteries produced at LG Chem's Ochang plant in Korea as fire risks were detected when the batteries are fully or nearly fully charged.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently launched a safety investigation into 77,000 Chevrolet Volt EVs. Two Chevrolet Volt buyers claimed fires broke out in the back seats of the cars under which batteries lie.

To mitigate the potential fire risks, GM first developed software that limits vehicle battery charging to 90 percent of the capacity. Starting with the North American market, the U.S. automaker is updating its battery software sequentially.

The batteries have not been determined as the cause of the fires. Still, controversy over the batteries continues, fueling concerns about the safety of Korean batteries. Some analysts point out that it could hamper the success of Korean battery companies.

Hyundai Motor’s Kona EV loaded with LG Chem's batteries is also undergoing a massive recall due to a series of fires. The Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said that there is the possibility of a fire being caused by internal short circuits due to poor cell manufacturing of high-voltage batteries after charging is completed.

Ford, which uses Samsung SDI's batteries, also recalled 20,000 units of the PHEV Kuga which caught fire seven times due to overheating batteries in Europe in September and put a stop to the sale of the model. It has also postponed the launch of the PHEV vehicle Escape in the United States. The PHEV vehicle Escape shares parts with the Kuga.